Project topics and materials
Get Complete Project Material File(s) Now! »
Curriculum design, pedagogy and methodology sensitivity
Most of Music curriculum content in African countries still has Western art music dominating. Mwesa (2005:178) commented that “music curricula in Africa have for … decades been structured in line with Western and/or North American music education curriculum models”.
Botha (2010:35) also noted that “For majority of black South Africans and for Africans in general, their education is neither situated in the day to day activities of their cultures, nor builds on the cultural heritage of their communities”. The pre‐democratic South African Music curriculum content did not include African music and thus it was not a true reflection of the diverse musical culture of the country as the music learners from an African cultural background were not catered for. Mngoma (1990:123) complained that “… by teaching a monogenic musical programme to African students and not extending it to include African music one is actually doing them a disservice; and nothing is so tragic as alienation from one’s own cultural roots”. Herbst et al (2005:263) described the pre‐1994 Music curriculum as “overly prescriptive, biased towards Western European ideals and content and racially divisive”. The 2003 NCS policy and 2011 CAPS policy, learning area Music, includes African music and promotes African indigenous instrumental practices for examination purposes in the formal school curriculum; but there is still a need for the development of African instrumental curricula and appropriate learning texts.
Structured curriculum and teaching material for indigenous instruments in school has been long envisaged, but to date there is still a lack of such material. Nzewi (2001:63) complained that “the pedagogical approach to music education in Africa is not Africa‐sensitive. Traditional pedagogic systems need to be re‐orientated for relevance in modern education”. Nompula (2011:379) further emphasizes the advice (by Bradley, 2006:2) that we should “…decolonize our methodologies and our pedagogies” when dealing with education that promotes social justice, in this case, bringing indigenous African music into the modern education system to achieve balance in the school Music education curriculum. Skeef (1999:331) also strongly supports the latter suggestion in saying that “In order to make a realistic comment on modern educational trends, we have of necessity to vacate the traditional European institutional museum and enter the real dynamic world of cross‐fertilization mushrooming all around it, threatening its very foundations”. The teaching of African music should also consider and adapt the traditional (oral‐aural culture and conceptualization of music learning, teaching and evaluation) African way of teaching music so as not to lose the African sensitivity of music practice. Mushira (2010:10) states that “African music being one of the genres included in multicultural music curricula is based on theoretical foundations that require methods consistent with its practice”. Yao Younge (2011:10) further noted that in traditional African communities “… children learn to play instruments through observation, imitation and participation”. The argument is that African music should be taught using African methods. As Flolu (2005:108) points out, “every cultural system has a set of ways of imparting knowledge to the younger generations. Learning African music requires, therefore, an understanding of the cultural system, the creative principles of the music and the methods by which that music is transferred from one person to another”. African drumming is one of the instrumental practices that has long been suggested for incorporation into the school curriculum. For instance, Sowande (1967:262) suggested that “instructors, whether they are semi‐literate or non‐literate, who are versatile in the field of our traditional music, should be made to give practical instruction in traditional drumming”.
Although MACD is a derivation of traditional drumming, I have further consulted traditional drummers to give inputs on the teaching and evaluation of African drumming.
African drumming epistemology
In this section I cite samples of African drumming epistemology before I proceed to the main focus of the thesis which evaluates the possibility of including contemporary African drumming (specifically MACD) in a school Music curriculum for examination purpose.
Music is one of the cultural ties that helps to bind people together in village and clan communities in Africa. Music plays a substantial role in the daily lives of people, in their judicial system, and in their traditional management and resolution of conflicts. Drums, together with drumming, are a vital part of rural administration and command. It is rare to find any village that does not have one form of village drum or another (Njoku 1993:48). Throughout the various countries of Africa, there are different ethnic groups who drum within their particular cultural practices, national calendar events, private household rituals and rites of passages. Bebey (1975:29) concludes that “… the drum is, without question, the instrument that best expresses the inner feelings of black Africa”. In other instances drumming is used for entertainment purposes during community recreational events. Some drumming events are associated with royalty and have a political purpose. Levine (2005:189) notes that “the word ngoma, apart from referring to the Venda drum, is also used to refer to rituals with a sacred dimension. In Venda society, these events also have political significance, and the musical activities that accompany them are inextricably linked to the political makeup of the society”. Drumming is sometimes used during the healing processes of the sick. Chukwu (2011:7) states that “the drum can also be used as a therapy to certain illnesses, as the sick listens to the drum sound which redirects his/her mind from tension”. When a person dies in some communities, drum music is sounded to alert the community. Therefore, African drumming practice can be functional or non‐functional, sacred or secular, solo‐based or ensemble‐based or can be used for dance or singing accompaniment. Chukwu (2011:i) states that “the African membrane drum can be used as a signaling instrument, accompaniment to singing, talking or accompaniment in dance”. Nketia, as quoted by Wilson (2004:4), also states that there are three different modes of drumming in the Ashanti culture which are “signal mode, speech mode and dance mode”. Therefore, there are specific drumming styles in different rhythmic forms that are used in different drumming contexts by different cultures to denote the essence of the event/ performance. Anku (1999:167) emphasizes that “Rhythm in African drumming is not a haphazard assemblage. It is not something that occurs on the spur of the moment without any kind of structural framework”.
The material used to make drums mostly depends on the geography and vegetation of the specific area. The material preferred will be dependent on the availability of the natural vegetation that the country or ethnic group has access to. Chukwu (2011:xii) adds that “the trunk of a particular membrane drum is determined by the group that intends to use the particular specie for its musical or dance accompaniment purposes”. This can be determined by the sound quality that the trunk produces and the psychological/health implications of the vibrations that come from that specific tree. The tuning of the drums will also differ from one drum type to the next and from one community and ethnic group to the next. The tuning depends on the technology that is used to attach the membrane of the drum.
SECTION I
Chapter One: The Research study
1.1 Background to the study
1.2 Research problems
1.3 Research questions
1.4 Value of the study
1.5 Research methodology
1.6 Research design
1.7 Categorization of this research
1.8 Delimitations of the study
1.9 Personal motivation: empirical ethnographic experience on MACD as performance based research
1.10 Notes to the reader
Chapter Two: Literature review
2.1 Theoretical framework
2.2 Music education approaches
2.3 African Music in school curriculum
2.4 Curriculum design, pedagogy and methodology sensitivity
2.5 African drumming epistemology
2.6 Types of African drums
2.7 Functions of African drums
2.8 Acquiring skills in African drumming
2.9 Spirituality in African Musical Arts
2.10 Conclusion
Chapter Three: Contemporary practitioners of African drumming
3.1 Interviewees and their drumming types
3.2 Personal and musical background of the drummers
3.3 Common theories and philosophies of African drumming as expressed by the interviewees
3.4 Conclusion
SECTION II
Chapter Four: MACD as an examinable school instrumental practice
4.1 Music as a school subject
4.2 Music curriculum structure
4.3 Genesis and philosophy of MACD
4.4 Links between NCS, CAPS, MACD and the South African Constitution
4.5 African drumming as an examinable instrument at school level
4.6 Transition from aurality to literacy learning
4.7 Misconceptions about MACD
4.8 Practice differences between African traditional drumming and MACD
4.9 Pedagogical differences between African traditional drumming and MACD
4.10 Teacher‐learner relations
4.11 MACD theory and practice
4.12 MACD practice terminology
4.13 Improvisation theory of MACD practice
4.14 Presenting the lessons
4.15 Practical assessment requirements for MACD
4.16 Case study: MACD as an instrumental option for Moses Mnisi High school in Mpumalanga province
Chapter Five: Example of MACD Repertoire for Grade 10‐12
5.1 Basic musical ideas and suggestions for interpreting and performing MACD pieces
5.2 Grade 10 Repertoire with brief analysis (beginner phase)
5.3 Grade 11 Repertoire with brief analysis (intermediate phase)
5.4 Grade 12 Repertoire with brief analysis (advanced phase)
5.5 Conclusion
Chapter Six: Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
6.1 Summary
6.2 Conclusions
6.3 Recommendations
